1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to tape cassettes and, more particularly, to a tape cassette in which a pair of tape reels are aligned within a cassette casing and a magnetic tape is attached at each end to a different one of the reels and is wrapped about one or both of them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such tape cassettes are now widely available as a record medium for a video tape recorder (VTR) and are described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Gazette No. 63-153383. When this tape cassette is loaded on a video tape recorder, the magnetic tape accommodated within the cassette casing is pulled out and wrapped around a rotary head drum. Then, a rotary head obliquely scans this magnetic tape to perform predetermined recording and/or reproduction.
In a tape cassette of the so-called VHS type, in a fast forward mode and in a rewind mode, a magnetic tape is withdrawn into the cassette casing and the magnetic tape is transported in such a manner as to reduce the resistance exerted upon the magnetic tape. In the fast forward mode or in the rewind mode, it is to be noted that the magnetic tape is transported at high speed in the forward direction or in the reverse direction along a guide surface formed on the outer surfaces of the front side wall portions of the cassette casing. Accordingly, it is frequently observed that, when the magnetic tape is slidably transported along the guide surface of the cassette casing, electrification occurs in the magnetic tape to cause the magnetic tape to be stuck to the guide surface of the cassette casing.
To solve this problem of the prior art, it is proposed to avoid electrification generated on the magnetic tape by forming very small concave and convex portions on the surface of the guide surface. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Gazette No. 63-153383 describes such previously-proposed tape cassette. However, this type of tape cassette has the disadvantage that, if very small concave and convex portions are formed over the entire surface of the guide surface, when the upper and lower shells or parts forming the cassette casing are removed from metal molds after the molding-process, the resistance in the removal-process increases considerably, thus making it impossible to remove the molded products from the metal molds.